The Journal of Mason Glade: Red Death
by David Carbon
Summary: A Guardian tells the tale of one of his many brushes with death, and of how he claimed his first E-class weapon.
1. Chapter 1

**Ghost Fragment - The Journal of Mason Glade: Red Death 1**

This is the tale of how I encountered the Devil Weapon, Red Death, early in my years as a competent Guardian. My companions, Thresher Maul the Titan, and Drent Arrow the Hunter, and I had finally stocked our arsenals with L-class weapons, but had yet to claim any E-classes for ourselves. To be honest, at that point, none of us had even come to know anybody who had - not that that is important necessarily, but I think it is a context that adds to the story.

I was in my quarters in the tower when Thresher came. I was practicing using solar light techniques that Krii Parcel had tried to teach me; I was a slow learner, and the natural talent I possessed for void light seemed not to apply. I did, however, feel that I was coming close to mastering one of the more advanced techniques - more on that later.

"Mason!" he called through the door. I was not in a state to answer. "Mason! Don't tell me you've vaporized yourself again!" There was a click as my ghost unlatched the door. Thresher entered my quarters and regarded the innumerable particles of myself that danced around the room. "Again Mason?" he asked.

"Give him a moment. *click* He almost has it," my ghost informed him.

"I'm certain he does, but Drent is waiting for us. There will be more time for practice later."

"Very well. *beep* I will revive him."

_Dammit. I was close._ I felt all of my fragmented particles begin to stir at my ghost's will, (not my own, sadly) and after a moment - and a flash of light - I was whole again.

"I hope this is worth the interruption," I said as I turned to Thresher.

"I think just about anything would be after the performance I just witnessed..." Thresher jested.

My ghost came to my defense. "He was quite close actually. *boop* I could feel it."

"Of course he was. Now lets get going," said Thresher.

"Going where?" I asked. "The Speaker hasn't given us a mission; our ghosts would know. Is this another one of Arrow's 'adventures'?"

"He does get bored easily when we spend too much time around the tower, and it's been quiet lately," Thresher observed. He was right.

"Where to this time then?" I asked as I turned and retrieved my scout rifle from my arms-locker. I set the weapon to my back and then held up my fusion rifle to my ghost. He absorbed it for me to equip later, along with my machine gun.

"The moon," Thresher told me.

"Ah. Are we taking on the Fallen or the Hive? Or are we just going to enjoy another picnic?"

"I still think that was an improper use of a Hunter's cloak. *click* ..." my ghost commented.

Maul laughed. "No such thing as an improper use, according to Drent. But no. No picnics this time. Drent informed me we would indeed be seeing some combat."

I grinned. "Alright. I could use a little target practice anyways."


	2. Chapter 2

**Ghost Fragment - The Journal of Mason Glade: Red Death 2**

We met Drent at the hanger. He was sitting on a crate next to his ship, sharpening his arc-blade. I raised an eyebrow as we approached. "... You must be planning on cutting through the fabric of reality with that thing." I teased him. Drent was constantly sharpening his knife. If he sharpened it much more it would simply cease to exist. Drent peered at me from under his cloak, a smirk breaking across his face.

"Perhaps. But if it's edge can slip between the threads of the universe, it certainly won't get stuck in a Hive's exoskeleton," he said. Then his Ghost materialized.

"... *click* Better safe than sorry..." it vocalized.

"Better safe than dead," Thresher added.

"Well," I started. "If you do plan on severing reality from itself, be sure to let me know. It'd be a grand thing to witness; something worth studying."

Thresher chuckled. "Oh please, you wouldn't be studying anything. You're practically a Titan in robes," he told me.

"I take offense at that," I bantered.

"It was meant to be a compliment," Maul shot back.

I grinned widely. "Touché."

"Okay you fools. We need to get moving," Drent said through a slight hesitation. Our banter often amused him greatly.

"So: The moon. The Hive. Are we delving into Crota's Temple again or are we striking somewhere new?"" I asked.

"Crota's temple again. I'm sure you've heard about the activity in the summoning pits that the warlocks have detected?" Drent ended in a question.

"I am. They say a creature called Phogoth is being drawn from the depths. The Vanguard say taking it out would be a suicide mission. They're prepping a fire-team of well seasoned guardians for an assault... And I'm guessing you want to kill it first..." I observed.

Drent smirked again. "You know me too well, Mason."


	3. Chapter 3

**Ghost Fragment - The Journal of Mason Glade: Red Death 3**

As our engines ignited and lifted our ships off the ground, a voice came over the comms. "Where are you three off to now?" asked the voice. It was Krii Parcel. She was a Warlock well versed in the art of solar light - the one who had been trying to teach me. She also monitored traffic to and from the tower occasionally.

"Nowhere, love," Drent cooed.

"Firstly, let me remind you that I have access to the defense turrets, so don't call me 'love.' Secondly, I can see that you've set a course for the Hellmouth on the Moon. Should I be letting the vanguard know about this?" she asked.

"Just going out for another picnic Krii," I said, hoping that she couldn't tell I was smiling from my tone.

"I doubt that very much..." she said. There were a few moments of silence as we hovered in the hanger, waiting for her to grant us clearance. I hoped she wasn't contacting the vanguard - not that we would be reprimanded, but if Ikora Rey or the others gave us a direct order not to disembark, we'd have to respect it. Finally she spoke again. "Alright. Fly safe Guardians."

"Thanks, love," Drent cooed, and the three of us engaged our thrusters and exploded out of the hangar. I kept my eyes on the defense turrets for an extra moment as the tower shrank away into the distance, half expecting them to start spinning up to fire. Thankfully they did not - Krii must have been in a merciful mood.

"You ought to watch it Arrow," Thresher came over the comms. "She is going to shoot you down one of these days."

"Correction," stated Drent. "She will _try_."


	4. Chapter 4

**Ghost Fragment - The Journal of Mason Glade: Red Death 4**

I braced myself as my ship began to come out of jump-space - I had struck my head against the controls one too many times not to. As my ship slowed with a jerk, I looked at my radar to see if the others had come out of jump-space yet. I saw one other blip off to my right.

"That is... *click* Thresher. ... Drent is approaching," my ghost informed me.

As if on cue, another blip appeared up on the radar. "Ops check," I reminded my companions as I myself ran a quick inspection of my ship.

"All good," Drent said over the comms.

"All good," Thresher echoed.

"And... all good," I finished.

"Last one there's a Frame," Drent challenged.

"Awful... just awful, you man-child," said Thresher, exasperated. Drent didn't respond. He just gunned his engines and sped off towards the Moon.

We landed a short time later at the Ocean of storms. A handful of Fallen engaged us, but we made short work of them - nothing worth elaborating on. As we approached the Hellmouth, however, our ghosts materialized. They chattered and clicked at each other for a moment.

"Fine. *chink* I suppose I'll tell them," said Thresher's ghost. The other two vanished and Thresher's ghost regarded us. "... I regret to inform you that there are six cloaked ships up ahead. They are flying colors of the Future War Cult. *beep* We performed a quick scan of the area and found nothing. If they're still alive, they're still in the temple."

Drent just grumbled.

"Do you think they beat us to it?" I wondered aloud.

"That would be most unfortunate," Drent said in a tone that told me he was on the verge of using harsher language.

"Only one way to find out," Thresher commented.

Drent breathed out sharply through his nose, and we continued our journey towards the entrance to Crota's temple.

When we reached the entrance, we found the bodies of five Hive Acolytes. I lifted a piece of splintered exoskeleton off the ground and examined it. "Well, they've definitely been through here," I observed as I tossed the bone back to the Moon. "Ghost. Any idea how long they've been down there?" I asked.

My ghost materialized and clicked a few times. "Well... the engines of their ships were completely cooled. *click* Not even a trace of heat. They've been gone at least a few hours."

"Why don't we just go find them? They might welcome some assistance fending off the Hive," Thresher suggested.

I saw Drent shaking his head, but he didn't speak. I answered Thresher. "If it was the New Monarchy, or just Vanguard, I'd agree, but the Future War Cult has been known to be... unfriendly in the field."

"No truth but war..." Drent said, reciting part of the FWC's creed.

My ghost spoke up again. "Detecting movement. *chirp* Guardians ahead."

I reached back and pulled my scout rifle off my back. Drent removed his Hand cannon from his hip, and Thresher racked the charging handle of his autorifle. My ghost vanished.

A moment later, five Guardians appeared from the entrance. All of them looked worn, and two of them were being helped along by their companions. The Guardian who did not have a companion to support - an exo titan - regarded me. "Names, affiliation," he demanded.

"Kayne, we don't have time for this," said one of the others. "We need to get back to the tower."

Kayne turned to his fire-team. "Go. Get the engines started."

The Guardian nodded, and the four of them moved passed us and headed for their ships. Drent spoke. "We saw six spacecraft back there... I'm sorry for your loss."

"Names, affiliation," the exo demanded again.

Drent grit his teeth, but spoke. "Drent Arrow. Vanguard."

Thresher spoke next. "Thresher Maul. Vanguard."

"Mason Glade. Vanguard," I finished.

The Titan looked over the three of us. "... I am Kayne-14 of the Future War Cult... I advise you stay away from Crota's Temple. There is a monster inside, and the Hive are protecting it with great vigilance."

"We know," I said. The titan's eyes narrowed. "... We aim to end it."

Kayne blinked a few times. "... Three of you? ... I advise you not to. You will be no match for Phogoth - the one they call Untamed."

"Your concern is appreciated," Drent said. "But let our blades and arms be the judge of that."


	5. Chapter 5

**Ghost Fragment - The Journal of Mason Glade: Red Death 5**

_GHOST! FUSION RIFLE!_ At the flash of a thought, my fusion rifle materialized in front of me. I grabbed it, turned, charged it, and fired the barrage of solar light, vaporizing the final Wizard.

Drent's ghost chirped. "I've got it! Door's opening! *Click* ... I've never seen Hive security so elaborate. They really don't want us getting to Phogoth."

Thresher had the last Thrall by the arm. He twisted the arm behind it's back and ran it head first into the wall, shattering it's skull. As he brushed the bits of exoskeleton off his hands he spoke, adding to the ghost's observation. "And the Future War Cult just made a run for him. I'm certain that doesn't help."

The three of us convened at the large ornate doors as they slowly slid open, revealing a passage that led deeper into the Temple of Crota. As soon as there was ample room, we bounded off down the corridor. It was a short journey to the next room, which contained only a mass of Thrall and a Knight congregating in the center. We opened fire simultaneously, and made short work of them.

Then a loud roar shook the room. A portion of the chamber had been hidden from sight by a wall, and around from it came an Ogre. I heard Thresher breath through his nose. "Unfortunate," was all he said.

I watched as a surge of void light began to gather at it's bulbous forehead. "Move!" I cried. I ducked to the left as Thresher and Drent leapt to the right. The high velocity beam of void light rattled through the room, barely missing us.

Now behind cover, my companions and I reloaded our weapons. "I hate these things," grumbled Thresher.

"Well then," I started. "I regret to inform you that Phogoth is simply an Ogre four times the usual size."

"And thrice as irritated," Drent added with a smirk.

"Well isn't that jolly," Thresher said. Then: "Ghost. Machine gun," he said aloud, I think only for the effect. Before him materialized his heavy machine gun. He racked the charging handle and stepped from cover. The Ogre roared again and began charging it's void blast.

It never got a chance to fire. Rounds began bursting from Thresher's weapon, and the spent shells poured to the ground like rainfall.


	6. Chapter 6

**Ghost Fragment - The Journal of Mason Glade: Red Death 6**

"What do you see?" I asked and I laid prone next to Drent. We were in the massive chamber at the bottom of the Hellmouth - a place I had only ventured to a handful of times - a place called the Circle of Bones. Drent was peering through the scope of his sniper rifle at a door across the black lake that owned the center of Hellmouth.

I will mention that there are dozens and dozens, possibly hundreds, of corridors and chambers underneath the lake and deeper in the temple, but few Guardians dared to challenge the death that hides in those dark places. Some even say there are entire god-worlds of the Hive down there, hidden from time and reality. Referring to only our plane of existence however, a Guardian had little reason to venture further than the black lake - only for adventures such as ours.

The door we spied upon led to the summoning pits, a place some say is a doorway to the realms I just spoke of. Others believe it is simply a room the Hive have chosen to train their champions in - or to torture them in, depending on your understanding of Hive culture.

"Two Hallowed Knights," Drent reported.

"That's all?" asked Thresher. "Two Ultras? You'd think they would stack the odds slightly more in their favor."

"Let's hit them while they haven't," I suggested.

Thresher and I stalked around the Hellmouth, avoiding a few small parties of Hive along the way. As we approached the two Hallowed Knights at the doorway, we flattened ourselves against the wall - they were ornate enough to offer carved projections and archways that provided us with ample cover to remain unseen. When Thresher and I were within striking distance of the Ultras, we focused our light. I closed my eyes and clenched my fist and felt the void light start to gather, drawing energy from the space around me. I opened my eyes and saw thresher flexing his arm, as currents of arc light began to jump around his gauntlets.

_Waiting on you Drent,_ I thought silently to myself. Then a loud shot rang out, and I heard a sound like metal embedding itself in stone.

Thresher and I charged around the corner at the two Hallowed Knights. One was stumbling back from the sniper bullet it had taken to the skull. Thresher was ahead of me, and threw his fist at the stumbling Knight. As the blow connected, a surge of arc light cascaded through the Ultra. I pushed off the ground and leapt over Thresher and his foe. The second Knight growled and moved to attack, but I shot my hand out and released the void light I had gathered in a spectacular burst. My foe staggered back, disoriented, giving me time to charge my fusion rifle. I released the barrage of solar light into his chest, propelling him back into a wall.

I turned from the Knight to find the other upon me. I leapt out of the way, letting my glide carry me up out the Ultra's reach. That's when I noticed it only had one arm left. I grinned. While at the top of my jump, I threw a vortex grande down between the two Ultras, trapping them both in the damaging sphere of void light for a moment. Then Thresher engaged them with his shotgun, and put several rounds into the Knight missing an arm. The Knight then swung at him with its remaining arm. Thresher ducked under the blow and moved to the creature's back. His storm fist hadn't charged up, but he delivered a powerful strike to the creature, sending it stumbling away. He then turned and threw a lightning grenade at the Knight I had knocked into the wall. The stick-like grenade pierced through the knights exoskeleton and pinned him to the wall. Thresher then dropped to the ground as the grenade emitted a bolt of arc light from it's tip. The bolt engulfed the one-armed Knight, dealing the killing blow, and the Ultra slumped to the ground. I landed on the ground as Thresher rolled away from the grenade's area of effect and stood. The grenade emitted several more pulses of arc light before it died away. Thresher cracked his neck and shook his shoulders out, satisfied - as he usually was after a physically demanding battle. Then my eyes moved passed Thresher to the Knight that was pinned to the wall. I had thought him dead, but he began raising his weapon to fire on us. I opened my mouth to call a warning, but I new it was too late for that. I shoved Thresher out of my way with all my might (and it took all of my might; he was heavy) and began gathering void light to my palm.

Then a shot rang out, and the Hallowed Knight's head exploded. I let the void light dissipate from my hand as I looked out over the black lake.

Drent waved at me from behind the scope of his sniper rifle.


	7. Chapter 7

**Ghost Fragment - The Journal of Mason Glade: Red Death 7**

"Behind this door lies the beast," I said as we stood before the threshold of the summoning pits. "... Ghost..."

"... *beep* I'm on it," my ghost chirped as it materialized and began scanning the controls. While we waited for my ghost to hack the door, I put a fresh magazine into my scout rifle. I exhaled deeply.

"You alright Mason?" Drent inquired.

I nodded. "Of course. My body is simply acknowledging that we're about to engage the most powerful Hive we've ever seen. Adrenaline is an unavoidable symptom."

"If you say so... maybe I'm just crazy," Drent speculated.

"Oh, absolutely. No question there," chuckled Thresher.

"Drent Arrow? Crazy? No..." I breathed sarcastically.

"... *click* I believe 'crazy' is a relative term. *boop* You two did follow him down here," my ghost chimed in.

"Aren't you supposed to be cracking through this door?" I accused.

"Right. *clack* Sorry... Aaaaaaaand, got it. We're through."

The door slid open, revealing the beast, Phogoth the Untamed, in all his terrifying glory. The massive Hive roared, and as he did, even the floor seemed to tremble with fear. "We have to kill _that_," Thresher said, almost a question but not quite.

"Well... *click* At least he's chained up," my ghost observed before vanishing.

Indeed, massive chains attached to his wrists hung down to the floor, securing Phogoth in place despite his constant efforts to break free. "I guess they call him 'untamed' for a reason," said Thresher. As we stepped into the room, Hive units began scrambling all around the chamber.

"Focus on the grunts first. Let's clear the room while Phogoth is chained up and then deal with him," I suggested.

"Solid plan," Drent answered. A doorway down a catwalk to our right burst open, and a flood of thrall poured across the threshold. They stampeded straight for us. Drent unsheathed his arc blade, currents of arc light bounding up and down the gorgeous knife. "So begins the dance..." Drent said, his voice taking on a dark tone. Then he let out a battle cry, and arc light consumed him. There must have been fifteen Thrall in the pack that surged towards us, but I trusted Drent's capabilities - the creatures might as well have not existed for all I cared. Drent pushed off the ground and sped towards them, while I raised my scout rifle and began firing upon the Knights and Acolytes that had posted themselves around the chamber.


	8. Chapter 8

**Ghost Fragment - The Journal of Mason Glade: Red Death 8**

It was an arduous battle. It seemed the Hive had allocated an endless army to the protection of Phogoth, but finally, the last Acolyte fell to my fusion rifle. I took a few deep breaths, and then reloaded. My ghost absorbed the weapon, and I glanced around the room, hoping to spot my companions. Drent stood atop a small mountain of Thrall corpses, and Thresher was attempting to pull his fist out of the skull of a Knight. With a final tug and a grunt, Thresher's fist came free. He shook his hand out.

"I always forget how thick Hive skulls are," Thresher commented as the three of us convened back near the entrance to the summoning pits.

I chuckled. "Alright. So do you two want to a quick sweep of the room while I take a look at Phogoth? I'd like to assess his strengths and weaknesses before we start putting rounds in him. It's not likely, but on the off chance he's engineered to absorb kinetic energy or something, we don't want to be caught off guard."

"If we have the time... let's take our time," Thresher agreed. Drent nodded.

The two of them began circling the room as I glided down from the ledge to the floor Phogoth was attached to. The creature roared again, the noise painful in my ears. I could tell that he was eager for battle - to cause death. My ghost materialized.

"This thing frightens me. It has no sense of self preservation... *chink* It only hungers."

"Such a depressing existence..." I said to myself. I looked up at the creature's head. "Ghost, is its forehead still a weak point?"

My ghost clicked a few times. "... No," it replied, showing surprise in its voice. "... *click* the area is still a conduit for void light, but it's just as strong as any other part of its body... *boop* hang on." My ghost started moving around the beast in a circle, scanning it. As my ghost searched for a weakness, my eyes fell upon it's chest.

"What about that?" I asked, pointing to what seemed to be some kind of growth that average Ogres did not have. My ghost danced back to my side and scanned the area I indicated.

"... How convenient. *chirp* It's the creature's heart. Definitely a weak point."

"Anything else I should be aware of before I start filling it with lead?" I asked.

"... *chhck* Fire away."

"MASON!" I heard Thresher call. Immediately I spun one-hundred and eighty degrees to find a group of three Hallowed Wizards glide into the chamber.

My heart skipped a beat. I threw a quick look at the radar in my heads up display. Thresher and Drent were both in the opposite corners of the room. I flashed a thought at my ghost and it vanished.

The Wizards all waved their arms at me. I moved to leap out of the way, but a dark mist sprouted out of the air around me. Normally, the poison cloud wouldn't have been too much of a burden, but with three Hallowed Wizards pouring their will into it, my will was outmatched. All of my bones felt like they were constructed of lead, and lifting them to move became nothing more than a wishful desire. My ghost's voice came through my consciousness "We need to get out of here. Two of those Wizards are charging their barrage attack... wait... *click* they aren't aiming for us..."

I squinted my eyes and peered through the dark cloud at the Wizards. Drent and Thresher were both laying down fire on them but they ignored it; their shields were strong. Two of the Wizards then fired their barrage of arc-energy, but as my ghost had said, it was not at us. _They're aiming for the chains..._ They were releasing Phogoth. The blast of energy seared into the heavy chains and began eating away at the metal. I pushed with all my strength to get out of the poison mist, but still was only making it a few inches at a time. Finally, the mist dissipated - Wizards can only sustain them for a limited time. I brought up my scout rifle and began firing on the Wizards that were attacking the chains, though my efforts seemed to go unnoticed, even combined with Drent's and Thresher's. _GHOST. MACHINE GUN_, I thought. The weapon materialized in front of me and I grabbed hold of it. I racked the action and raised it, only to freeze as I heard a loud creak. I turned just in time to see Phogoth heave upwards with all his might, snapping the chains that held him down. Then the beast slammed his fists to the ground, putting a crater into the floor, and propelling me up into the air. I caught myself with my glide, but then Phogoth let out another deafening roar, and a surge of void light gathered at his forehead. I felt the tickle of a thought from my ghost - _Oh no_ \- just before the beam of void energy collided with me, sending me straight into the wall, and into darkness.


	9. Chapter 9

**Ghost Fragment - The Journal of Mason Glade: Red Death 9**

"Come on now. *click* You need to get up. I can't revive you here... the darkness is too strong. You need to get up." I felt the tickle of a voice in my conscious as I drifted along.

_Oh... Hello,_ I responded. _How are you, ghost?_

"Dying... *beep* Thanks for asking."

_Well... that's not good, _I said, full of genuine sympathy.

"... You seem oddly calm for someone who just died a horribly painful death..."

_Oh yeah... I did, didn't I, _I remembered. _I need to get back and help my friends... would you be so kind as to revive me, ghost?_

"I'd love to, *click* but as I told you: the darkness is too strong here. You will need to revive yourself... but you don't have much more time. *boop* You need to hurry."

_Ah yes. That Sunslinger technique Krii has been teaching me. I haven't quite gotten it yet._

"Well get it now! *click* If you don't, then this is it... you die. For good this time," my ghost cried

_Oh... well that's unfortunate, _I sighed.

"... *clack* If I didn't think you could do it, I wouldn't bother putting so much effort into holding you together for so long," my ghost said, agitated.

I sighed. _All right, all right... here goes nothing._

"Nothing? *click* more like: here goes just _everything_," my ghost muttered.

I let my conscious flow through myself. I tried to picture every fragment of myself individually. Every little nook and cranny of my body and my mind, every piece, a pinpoint of light. I gathered myself.


	10. Chapter 10

**Ghost Fragment - The Journal of Mason Glade: Red Death 10**

Light filled me, and with it came life. The darkness of my sleeping mind was blinded with radiance for a moment before I felt myself become whole again. Suddenly, I was standing on ground, and could feel musty air filling my lungs. I held my hands up in front of my face and saw a brilliant solar light radiating from them - from my whole body. It lasted for a few more moments and then died away.

"... Well done! *chink* You did it!" my ghost congratulated me.

I grinned to myself for a moment, then examined my surroundings... or lack thereof. "Ghost... where are we?" I asked. As far as I could see, there was just black in all directions.

"Scanning... *beep* ... I'm not entirely certain. I think we are somewhere underneath the black lake but... something's not right." I reached to my back for my scout rifle, only to find it missing.

"Ghost... what happened to my weapons?" I inquired.

"Your scout rifle and machine-gun? Inconclusive. We lost them in the blast from Phogoth. Your fusion rifle I had to dispose of so as to focus all of my energy on keeping you from slipping away into oblivion... *click* Sorry," my ghost offered.

I sighed. "I need a weapon... and a light... ghost?" After a few clicks, a bright light emanated from my ghost. There wasn't much to reveal, just reassurance that I was, indeed, standing on a floor. I picked a direction, and began walking.

After a few minutes of travel, I noticed that the darkness around me was beginning to change. It seemed to writhe with a dying life, and it began to change in hue. At first I thought it was just my eyes, but after blinking a few times, I found that the darkness around me was beginning to look more red than black. "Ghost... what is this?" I asked. As I stopped moving, so did the darkness around me.

"I don't know. I've never encountered anything like it before... maybe we shouldn't go this way?"

"Maybe..." I agreed cautiously. I turned and began walking away, but as I moved, the darkness started to writhe again, and continued becoming more red. I stopped again, and picked another direction. Still, no matter which direction I moved, my surroundings became more and more red in hue.

"Scanning," my ghost said suddenly. "... *click* My logs read that we've been walking in a straight line the entire time... something definitely isn't... *beep* ... wait... up ahead... Oh my... Guardian down!"

A moment later I came upon him, a Warlock. He sat propped up against a rock, slumped forwards over a rifle. "... How long has he been here?" I asked.

"Uncertain... *beep* A long time," my ghost chirped. Slowly, I squatted down beside the fallen Warlock. I took hold of his shoulder and pushed him back slightly. That's when I noticed that the rifle had a bayonet, and it was buried into the Guardian's stomach. The guardian's hand still gripped the weapon tightly "... *click* Was he trying to stop something from stabbing him? Or did he do that to himself?"

A shiver ran through my body. I stood and looked around. The red darkness still surrounded me like a thick blanket... I felt like something was watching me. "Well, I still need a weapon."

"I'd be careful... *chink* This place is dark..." my ghost warned me.

"All the more reason." I stooped over again to grab the handle of the weapon. I hesitated for a moment, and then took hold of the grip.

Immediately a bright light blasted on, illuminating the chamber in a bright red hue. The circular room I was in was maybe fifty yards in diameter, myself and the dead Guardian at the center. I looked up, and glanced around the room. All was bright except for a number of shadows that stood - yes, stood - around the edges of the room as shapeless entities that consumed the light rather than reflect it. They began moving. "... *click* ten of them, coming towards us. I don't think they're friendly," my ghost informed me.

I tired to pull the weapon out from the dead Guardian's body, but it wouldn't budge. It didn't seem stuck... it just wouldn't move. Even when I grunted and struggled with all my strength, the weapon wouldn't budge. _I guess I'll just have to fight them with void light. _I let go of the weapon's grip... or at least tried to. My hand refused to relinquish its grasp on the weapon. "What is this?" I asked as I focused all of my attention on letting go of the weapon - my hand wasn't stuck either... it just refused to listen to me.

"_This_ is bad," my ghost said. I glanced up.

The shadows were still coming towards me, and I began to hear voices, whispers. They were speaking. I couldn't tell what they were saying yet, but imagined I would when they reached me - unless they were just hissing, which was a possibility. "Ghost," I said, and my ghost vanished.

The first shadow reached me. I felt it brush up against me. It wrapped itself around me. I released a charge of void light from my free hand, and the shadow shied away momentarily, but it only writhed back, unscathed. Then it whispered in my ear: _You want power... I will help._ As the shadow wrapped itself around me once again, I felt it start to tug at the weapon... it was helping me remove it from the dead Guardian.

The next shadow reached me, and did the same. _I will help..._

And the next shadow: _I will help..._

My fear started to subside as I felt the strength of each shadow join mine. They were helping me. As the eighth shadow joined me, I felt the bayonet start to budge. It was working!

_See? We are helping. Only helping. NO DON'T LIST- ... Helping. We are helping. We promise. _The ninth shadow joined me, and slowly but surely the blade began to dislodge from the corpse. I was almost there...

_MASON STOP!_

The voice almost startled me.

_Ignore that. We are helping. Only helping. Keep going. We're almost there._

Then my mind started working again. "... There were ten of you. Where's the tenth one?" I asked.

_He is helping._

"I doubt that," I grumbled as I finally started to look up from the weapon. After a moment, I spotted the tenth shadow - he was trying to pull my ghost apart.


	11. Chapter 11

Ghost Fragment - The Journal of Mason Glade: Red Death 11

"MASON! *click* MASON SNAP OUT OF IT!" my ghost cried, using my name - something he usually didn't do.

"I'm here! I'm here!" I called back as I struggled against the shadows.

_Give us your light. We are trying to help you!_ hissed the shadows.

"Get off of me!" I yelled back. I tried to cast them off with bursts of void light, but the effect was too short lived to have any success. _... Time to use my solar light again,_ I sighed to myself. Radiance. One of the simplest of solar techniques. I took a deep breath and let solar light flow through my being. "RELEASE ME!" I screamed as the light exploded from my core. The shadows scattered. A moment passed and they started to skitter towards me again. "I will wipe you from existence!" I threatened. The shadows stopped, and I faced the one that still held my ghost. "Release him now!" I demanded. The shadow did not release my ghost, though it seemed it had stopped trying to pry him apart. "... Release him or I will end you!"

_... I offer you power... and you choose this little light?_

"I don't need your power," I told it.

_Ha. You can't even lift the weapon._

"Watch me," I hissed. I focused, and another brighter wave of light surged through me. It filled my muscles and tendons, but still I could not move the weapon.

Then I noticed something. Something barely there... a thread. A thread of existence binding me to the weapon, a link from my hand to the metal. I used it. I pushed my light through it, and the solar light surged into the weapon like it was a part of my hand, an extension of myself. I let out a final cry, and with all my might and will, I pulled the weapon from the dead Guardian. I pulled it free.

I pushed up from the corpse, and lunged towards the shadow that held my ghost. The shadow turned towards me just in time for me to plunge the bayonet into its torso. I held the weapon there, embedded in the darkness, and it released my ghost. My ghost then hovered around so he was peering at the shadow from over my shoulder. "This shadow is different than the others. *click* ..." he said. Then the shadow smiled at me. It didn't have a face, or a mouth, but for some reason I could tell that it was smiling at me. I stepped back and yanked the weapon out of the shadow, and as I did, my vision was drenched with a bright white light. I blinked a few times and my eyes adjusted. I still held the weapon, and the dead Guardian still lay before me, but I was no longer in a circular room bathed in red light. I was just in a dark cave.


	12. Chapter 12

**Ghost Fragment - The Journal of Mason Glade: Red Death 12**

_Need to get back to the pits..._ I thought to myself as I pulled myself up to the next ledge.

"We're almost there. *click* Just another twenty feet or so," my ghost informed me. I desperately hoped that my companions were faring well against Phogoth. They hadn't once been overcome in the field before, but I was worried.

"There they are. *beep* They're still alive," my ghost announced as I stood within the hole in the wall to the summoning pits. Indeed, Drent and Thresher were alive and well... or at least alive. Thresher was in a corner of the room fighting off a group of Acolytes and Knights - the bones of many Hive already laid scattered at his feet. Drent was sprinting around Phogoth, taking shots at the creature with his hand cannon while simultaneously dodging the barrages of three Witches. Then I saw him pull out his arc blade, and his cry filled the room as arc light filled his body. Drent ran straight at Phogoth, who raised his arms to smash Drent. I watched the altercation as I glided down from my perch. Drent jumped as Phogoth slammed the ground, and he landed on the creature's forearm. Then he ran all the way up the creature's arm, dragging his arc blade through the giant Hive's skin as he did. Drent leapt from Phogoth's shoulder and collided midair with one of the Wizards. He clung to it and stabbed it several times, then leapt from it to the next wizard, disposing of it as well. As Drent landed, the third Wizard moved between him and Phogoth, and began charging its barrage. Drent took a step towards it and threw his arc blade, embedding it into the Hive's skull. As the Wizard's body fell out of the air, Drent charged and leapt, grabbing the knife from the corpse as he soared passed it towards Phogoth. The Hive champion, to my dismay, simply caught Drent in his hand and threw him about fifty feet through the air. Drent spun a few time but managed to regain his aerial awareness and right himself before he struck the ground. He hit and rolled - slightly successfully - and ended up on his side without any major injuries. As I landed on the battlefield, I looked to Thresher again. Another few Knights and a flood of Thrall had joined the ranks surrounding him.

"That's enough!" I heard him cry. Then I saw him jump up a few feet into the air. He raised his fists above his head and slammed them into the ground as he landed. A shockwave of arc light surged out from his body and obliterated all but a few of the Hive surrounding him, which he dispatched shortly. I saw Drent run to him, and the two took cover behind a rock as Phogoth fired his void blast at them. As I ran to reconvene with my companions, I threw an axion blot grenade so it landed behind Phogoth. The tracking sphere of void energy struck the creature in the back. Phogoth turned to see what had struck him, and while he was distracted, I reached the rock Drent and Thresher were behind.

"Mason! You're alive!" Thresher exclaimed. "I was starting to get worried."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but moving forwards... what's the situation with Phogoth?" I asked.

"Well, he's still alive," Drent informed me. "It doesn't seem like we're doing much damage to him. His forehead isn't his weak area. We have about two minutes before the next wave of Hive soldiers reaches us. I clocked the pattern. Also, Thresher and I are both out of heavy ammo."

"Okay, well before I was incapacitated, my ghost scanned the creature. It's weakness is it's heart. Part of it is exposed on Phogoth's chest," I told them.

"Well that would have been pleasant to know this whole time," Thresher commented.

"Would have been too easy for you," I smirked. I pulled the rifle I had found off of my back. "Drent, I propose you and I distract it while Thresher moves in close and hits it hard with his shotgun and fists."

"... Where'd you find that autorifle?" Thresher inquired. "It looks like quite the weapon."

"It's a pulse rifle, actually. It's just built on an autorifle frame... and down in the hole I fell into when I smashed through the wall. Now... may we go kill Phogoth?"

"I suppose we might as well," Drent grinned.


	13. Chapter 13

**Ghost Fragment - The Journal of Mason Glade: Red Death 13**

Even focusing on Phogoth's weak point, the beast could still take a lot of damage. Another wave of Hive units arrived, and we had to fight through them before focusing on Phogoth again. It was during our second run at him that the pulse rifle I had acquired began to feel heavy in my hands. At first it wasn't much more than a bother, but as I fired upon Phogoth, even the trigger became harder to pull. My fingers began to seize up, then my arms.

"Mason! What's happening over there?" called Drent.

I was putting all of my will into simply moving, and didn't answer him. I managed squeeze one more burst from the rifle, and then fell to my knees. Without my participation, our plan of attack against Phogoth fell apart. The beast struck Drent so that he collided with Thresher, sending both of them sprawling to the ground. Phogoth then turned his sights on myself. The beast let out one of his floor-rattling roars. Despite how loud Phogoth was, I managed to pick out another sound - a quiet laugh.

My ghost materialized. "It's the shadow. It's still with us. *beep* It's inside the rifle!"

A part of me had hoped my altercation with the shadow had been a hallucination. I had been foolish. Phogoth started stomping towards me, anticipating easy prey. "What do you want?!" I cried, addressing the shadow.

_You, Guardian._

I felt my muscles begin to stir, and, to my dismay, I began to turn the weapon on myself. "That thread is still there. *boop* Use it!" my ghost advised me.

"I can't! My super isn't up yet!" - I had just used my nova bomb during the last wave of Hive. I struggled against myself, and though I made it difficult for the shadow to control me, it made the barrel of the gun closer to my face, and Phogoth came ever closer. Finally, the bayonet and barrel rested only a few centimeters from the underside of my chin, and my fingers began to twitch. Then I heard gunfire, and Phogoth turned from me.

"Mason! What are you doing?" cried Thresher, and his hand gripped the weapon and pulled it away from my head. Thresher grunted as he pried the weapon away from it's fatal positioning. "Why are you struggling against me?"

"I'm not. It's not me. It's a shadow that's been following me since I found this damn pulse rifle."

"A shadow?" Thresher grunted.

"I'm not quite sure how to describe it... just don't let it kill me, my super is almost up," I told Thresher.

"Well hurry! Drent is distracting Phogoth for now, but the next wave of Hive is approaching; ten seconds."

"Dammit. I need twenty." I took a breath. "Okay, when the wave arrives, join Drent and fend them off, I can hold my own with the shadow for a few seconds, and then I should be able to overcome it with my super."

"As soon as Drent and I focus on the swarm of Hive, Phogoth will come for you," Thresher cautioned me.

"Then I'll make him wish he hadn't," I said. Thresher looked worried. "There isn't any other way... the two of you won't be able to keep the swarm and Phogoth at bay simultaneously without... here comes the swarm Thresher... go!" I told him.

"Hang in there Mason," the titan told me, and he left to assist Drent. My struggle with the shadow continued, and as soon as Drent and Thresher focused on the wave of Hive, Phogoth once again turned towards me... Ten seconds never seemed so long, each one marked by the shake of Phogoth's heavy footsteps. The shadow did everything in its power to kill me. It tried so hard, and given another few seconds it would have succeeded, but finally my super was ready. I searched my conscious until I found that pesky thread that was tying me to the weapon, and I gripped it. Once again, I filled myself with solar light, and pushed it through the link. My will surged through the weapon and I came upon the shadow. Time seemed to slow as our wills collided. I think it would have overcome me if I hadn't already weakened it earlier, but as we were, I managed to back it into corner; I had it. Then the shadow smiled again, and released me.

My mind slammed back into the physical world just in time to see Phogoth standing before me, fists raised above his head - I was moments away from being flattened. My body seemed to move before my mind even sent its commands - I sprang forwards, my grip on the weapon steady. As Phogoth pulled his fists down through the air, I plunged the bayonet into the bulge on his chest, deep into his heart. Phogoth froze in position, and a raspy gurgling sound came from his throat. I held the blade embedded in his heart for a moment, pulling the trigger and putting several bursts of fire directly into the creature, and then tore it out, a dark essence pouring from the open wound. I released my right hand from the grip of the pulse rifle, a surge of void light gathered in my grasp, and drove my palm up into the wound, releasing the deadly surge. The Hive champion's body lifted into the air slightly as the void light tore him apart form the inside out... until there was nothing left of the beast... nothing but a small green gem - the core of his heart.


	14. Chapter 14

**Ghost Fragment - The Journal of Mason Glade: Red Death 14**

"You sure you want to take that weapon with you?" Thresher asked me.

"Well," I started as I climbed up into my ship. "It hasn't tried to kill me again... the shadow may have deserted the weapon finally. My ghost can't find a trace of anything inside it."

"Plus," Drent added. "If we run into anything between here and the tower, Mason will need a weapon."

My ghost materialized and addressed me. "Just be careful. *click* I almost lost you twice today... a third time might just be too much for me."

"Alright," I agreed. "I'll be careful. Now lets get back to the tower. We need to see the Vanguard."

We made it to the tower without incident, and, after a few inquiries as to their location, came upon Ikora Rey and Cayde-6 in deep discussion.

"Yes, the Future War Cult made a run for the beast, and failed, the blasted fools. This could be problematic-" Cayde halted his speech as we approached. "Ah! Guardians! How fare you?" his friendly exo voice greeted us.

"Master Cayde, Master Ikora," I bowed. My companions stood awkwardly as I greeted my superiors - Titan and Hunter customs varied slightly from the Warlocks, something I wasn't fond of, but heeded.

"What brings you to us, Guardians?" Ikora asked.

I grinned. "We just wanted to let you know that we have slain Phogoth the Untamed."

Ikora's eyes narrowed, but the corner of her mouth turned upwards slightly. "... Well, if anyone was foolish enough to attack him, and somehow through some unfathomable turn of luck, succeeded, it would be you and your companions, Mason... but I must say a deed such as this requires-"

"Proof?" Drent interrupted. Ikora turned her eye towards the Hunter, and he produced the small green heart-core from a pouch on his belt - I had almost left it in the pits, thinking it a good message to send to the Hive, but Drent had called me a romantic fool and brought it back for this very encounter. Cayde stepped up to Drent and moved his hand towards the gem.

"May I?" he asked politely. Drent nodded and Cayde took the core. "... My oh my," he said after studying it for a moment. Then he addressed us. "You three never cease to impress... but I would caution you from being so rash in the future... many a stronger and wiser Guardian has fallen to the hands of monster birthed out in the darkness."

"Understood, Cayde," Drent said shortly. There was a short pause, and then Cayde chuckled.

"How about that, Ikora?" he said, and he tossed the green gem to her. She looked at the core for a few moments herself and then regarded us.

"Well done Guardians... I'd repeat Cayde's cautionary advise as well, but I hate to be redundant. Dismissed. Consider any ship, weapon, or armor repairs you need a gift for today."

"Thank you, Master Ikora," I bowed. The three of us turned to head for the weapon-smith. We made it about half a step away before we heard the heavy racking of a shotgun behind us. "Halt Guardian!" Ikora cried. Almost instinctively, my hands went up and I froze - Ikora's shotgun was an E-class called Invective, and I was probably the first person in a decade to have its sights trained on me. 'Confused' is too timid a term to describe what I was.

"... Master Ikora?" I asked, trying to keep my cool. Even Drent and Thresher looked rattled.

"... Mason... Where did you find that weapon?" she demanded.

"What, this?" I asked, slightly moving my hand to point at the pulse rifle at my back.

"Don't move!" she cried, and readjusted her shotgun from her hip to her armpit.

"Okay! Okay! I found it in a cave deep in the Hellmouth. When we first found Phogoth, he got the jump on me and ended up sending me through a wall. I self-res'd and found the weapon... though I had quite a perplexing interaction with it. I was planning on asking the Speaker about it."

"Mason... do you feel anything in your head: irrational thoughts, anger?" she asked.

"No..." I responded

She kept her weapon trained on me and seemed to be thinking hard. "... Thresher, Drent, has he tried to attack either of you, or has he been abnormally aggressive since he found that weapon?"

"Well, no..." Thresher started. "But he almost shot himself in the head while we were fighting Phogoth, and he said something about a shadow controlling him... but then he said he beat it. He used his radiance and he's been fine since then."

"A shadow?" Cayde wondered aloud to Ikora.

"... Contact the Speaker. We're bringing Mason there right now," Ikora said rigidly.


	15. Chapter 15

**Ghost Fragment - The Journal of Mason Glade: Red Death 15**

"Hello, Mason," the Speaker greeted me as I reached the top of the stairs to his perch. He was looking out over the city. Then he turned. "Ikora, Cayde," he said, acknowledging the two Vanguard mentors who held their weapons trained on me. He looked between the two of them and then addressed me. "Do you know what you have at your back there, Mason, that has caused so much alarm?"

I shook my head. "I can't say I do..."

"... That is the pulse rifle that has taken the name Red Death," the Speaker informed me.

I thought hard for a moment, and then gasped as I recalled...

"Yes, you remember now," the Speaker said, pleased.

"I read about it... I didn't know what it looked like, but I read about it,"I admitted.

"And what did you read about it, Mason?"

"... Vanguard policy urges Guardians to destroy this weapon on sight," I recited, and as I spoke the words, a shiver ran down my spine.

"Do you know why, Guardian?" the Speaker asked. I shook my head... there wasn't much written about the weapon - not that I'd found anyways.

"... Is it because of the shadow that was hiding within it?" I asked, taking a guess.

The Speaker just looked at me for a while. Then he turned away, stepping up to his desk, and he began speaking. "There were ten 'shadows' within the weapon, were there not?" he asked.

"Yes, yes there were, but nine of them fled."

"That's because only nine were shadows... shadows of the Guardians that the weapon had enticed. Nine of them. They thought the weapon would bring them power, but all it brought them was ruin. I knew a number of them personally... young, promising Guardians... Many fell at the hands of those enticed by the weapon... it drives its wielders mad, and it uses them do its bidding. Mason... the tenth shadow you saw was not a shadow... it was the weapon. It was Red Death herself, and she is not dead, nor is she gone... but it seems she does not control you... Mason, may I see the weapon?" the Speaker finally asked as he motioned for Ikora and Cayde to lower their firearms.

"... Um... Of course..." I said cautiously as I pulled the weapon from my back and presented it to the Speaker. Carefully, he took the weapon from me, but after only a moment of holding it, the Speaker fell to his knees.

"SIR!" cried Ikora and Cayde-6 in unison as they rushed to his side.

"No, no," he waved them off. "I'm alright, it's just awfully heavy... here Mason, take it back," he instructed me. I took the weapon from him.

The Speaker stood, and breathed deeply a few times, as though he had to catch his breath. Then he addressed me. "The weapon respects you Mason... and she believes you will find more worthy prey following your own will rather than hers. You see, Red Death was not born of darkness, and she relished your defeat of Phogoth as much as any of her past victims. She will be a powerful ally, Mason. Use her wisely."

With that, the Speaker turned away. Ikora hesitated slightly before voicing her concerns. "But sir... should we not destroy the weapon while we can? If it changes its mind and takes Mason..."

"The mind of a sentient weapon is difficult to understand... trust me when I say, that as long as Mason holds the grip, no evil will come from her. She is his now. Should Mason ever perish, then yes, destroy the weapon, but I doubt she will let Mason fall too easily... Now Mason... the weapon-smith closes down for the night soon, and I believe you still have an errand or two concerning him." I nodded, turned, and began descending the stairs. "And Mason," he called. I turned to listen. "In case you hadn't recognized her as such, Red Death is an E-class weapon... Congratulations."

I bowed. "Thank you, Speaker."

And thus I claimed the Devil Weapon, Red Death. She and I saw countless adventures, and the end of many champions of the darkness over the years. I did try several times to communicate with her sentience, but my efforts were in vain, and never again did I hear her whisper, though sometimes I think I could hear a quiet, contented laugh as my enemies fell before me.


End file.
